A funny thing happened last week. My husband and I went out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and the fortune cookie given to my husband at dessert said, “Cleaning up the past will always clear up the future.” What is going on here? Does everyone know I’m writing these organizing articles for phenomeNEWS? At any rate, I felt like the spirits were (and are) with me and, hopefully, will stay with me until the end of this month’s article.

Last month I gave you some coping skills for handling all the mail that comes in on a daily basis. I hope you have had some amount of success in letting go of the extraneous paperwork that arrives in your mailbox. I promised some ideas for filing this paperwork and for bill-paying and for organizing your desk area this month. Let’s get started.

Paying your bills. Last month I advised you to keep your bills in a small bin until paid. The bin can be a box about 5”x8” or anything which will hold the papers so they won’t slide out. Put only the invoice and return envelope into the bin; throw away all the inserts when you open the mail. As you make out your checks, note the check number and date of payment on the stub of the bill and file in a folder called Paid Billsor in a special purpose file (see below).

Everyone deserves a place to file paperwork. This means not only the adults in your house, but the kids too. It could be a file cabinet outfitted with hanging folders and A-Z separators. You need enough space to keep what you need to keep, in a way you can rapidly retrieve it. This could even be something as simple as a milkcrate from an office supply company, also outfitted with hanging folders and A-Z separators. It’s a good way to get started if you’ve never had your own place to keep the things you call your own. There are many different file systems; it doesn’t have to be elaborate... just yours. Just to help you think creatively, here are some of the folder names that some clients have used: the name of your child’s school(s), name(s) of organizations you belong to, church or synagogue, cell phone supplier, catalogs for your favorites which you want to keep, concerts and theater brochures, computer receipts, married children’s family names. I’m sure you get the picture.

It is so much easier to think in terms of the alphabet and to put any written information away accordingly. If you’re looking for an insurance policy, it should be filed under the broad heading of Insurance and that would be approximately 1/3 of the way through the filing drawer. Better grouped together there than to try to remember which insurance company covers your car, home, jewelry, etc.

Each family member should have a file folder with her/his name on it. Any number of things can be filed in it – school info, report cards, medical information, etc.

Taxes. How simple it would be to have tax information available February 1st of every year. Start this month: have a folder marked Taxes 2006 and throw into it all your receipts which may have tax benefits. It’s much easier to do that now than to start rummaging through the house in March or April. Have a folder marked Medical Receipts and do the same with that folder. You only need to keep personal tax records for three years (unless there is some litigation involved) and business records for seven years. All paperwork and records not involved with the current year should be stored in the basement (up off of the floor) or attic and should be labeled just with the year of the contents. It’s not necessary to get any more sophisticated than that.

Here is an example of how simple it can be with about one-half dozen file folders. Make up folders (filed under “T” in your A-Z drawer) for:

Taxes - Contributions

Taxes - Medical

Taxes - Professional Charges

Taxes - Property

Taxes - 1099

Every time you pay a bill that has tax implications, file it in the appropriate file folder (no special order involved) and forget about it until the next tax year. You, your spouse (if you have one) and your accountant will be ecstatic.

Investments. Under “I” create a folder for each investment house (if you have more than one) and every month automatically file the statement from the mail. Not only should these be in one place, but they really are no one else’s business and shouldn’t be out in plain view. If you have any documents with face value (like stock certificates, bonds, etc.), they should be in a safety deposit box at the bank or in a fireproof box.

Speaking of safety deposit boxes, where is your will? (Only a copy of your will should be in your home; the original should be in a safety deposit box.) How about your marriage license? Automobile registration? Insurance policies? Seldom used jewelry? These items are perfect for storage in a bank safety deposit box. You never have to worry about where they are or if they will get into the wrong hands.

Medical Records. Make a folder for each family member entitled Medical and their name. In it put all medical information for that person, including paid medical bills (if they aren’t filed in a separate file under Taxes) and Explanation of Benefits from your insurance company. You can also include information you receive from your doctor regarding things like blood pressure, cholesterol, a good brand of cough medicine, height and weight with a date on the slip. Children’s folders should include things like immunization dates and copies of prescriptions for future reference (like prescriptions for glasses). Then, there will be no reason to look all over the house for this information.

Every adult in your house should have a Feel Good folder (filed under ‘F’) that holds the cards, notes, etc. which you just can’t bear to throw away. On a day when you think the whole world hates you, sit down and read some of the contents and it’ll chase your blues away.

Lastly, let’s talk about your calendar. You may need two. It’s a good idea to have your own personal calendar that you carry with you and also have a family calendar (a month at a glance) somewhere in the kitchen or back hall (perhaps mounted on the front of the basement door) that all family members can access. Put a pencil with a good eraser (not a pen) on a rubber band attached right to the calendar. No excuse for not putting a soccer game or a concert on the calendar when you/they get a notice.

Have I given you plenty of food for thought and action? I hope so. I keep reading about how not being organized can be such a negative element in our lives. Don’t be part of that group of fellow-humans. Make this year your year to finally get it together for your own sake as well as those who live and work around you. What a wonderful example you will set for others to follow. Good luck and bless those empty spaces.

Nancy Kalef is the retired owner of “Let’s Get Organized!” and formerly went to client’s homes to organize their closets, cupboards and paperwork. She may be reached by email at NancyKalef@comcast.net.